Principal Packaging Product Development Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

A day in this role

Morning : You kick off by partnering with Product Management and Sales to translate market and customer needs into clear product requirements. You frame the concept, sketch early ideas, and align on performance goals and quality metrics that will guide development from concept through manufacturing implementation.

Midday : You move into deep design work—building robust 3D CAD models and fully detailed 2D engineering drawings in PTC Creo / Pro‑E (or an equivalent CAD platform). You prepare files for rapid prototypes via stereolithography (SLA), fused deposition modeling (FDM), and CAM processes. In parallel, you consult with Tooling Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to de‑risk manufacturability.

Afternoon : You validate design choices across internal material platforms—rigid sheet thermoforming, foam thermoforming, injection molding, folded paper, molded fiber, and extrusion—ensuring design-for-manufacture holds up. You craft performance specifications and test methods, coordinate lab trials and plant experiments, and refine cost models with internal costing tools. You outline capital requirements and shape the manufacturing strategy with Operations Engineering.

Late day : You drive the development timeline, communicate status and decisions to business unit product managers, Sales, customers, Manufacturing, and Finance, and update program documents for organizational project meetings. You line up manufacturing plant startups and partner with process engineering, plant staff, and Pactiv customers to validate production performance and secure customer acceptance.

Impact and visibility

This is a high‑visibility, hands‑on leadership role that connects directly with Product Management, Sales, Manufacturing Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling Engineering, and Finance—shaping new food packaging for food service, consumer packaged goods, and food processors.

What you will lead

• End‑to‑end product design projects from concept through commercialization.
• Creation of complete CAD models and drawings (PTC Creo / Pro‑E or equivalent) and preparation for SLA / FDM and CAM.
• Structured brainstorming and research to solve unique customer problems.
• Design-for-manufacture collaboration with tooling and manufacturing engineering teams.
• Product design across rigid sheet thermoforming, foam thermoforming, injection molding, folded paper, molded fiber, and extrusion.
• Definition of performance specifications and test methodologies; coordination of lab testing and manufacturing trials.
• Development schedules and commercialization plans, with clear communication to all stakeholders.
• Manufacturing strategy and capital planning with tooling and operations engineering.
• Product cost estimation using internal costing tools and assembly of capital requirement outlines.
• Project reporting, documentation upkeep, and participation in regular project update meetings.
• New product startups in manufacturing plants; validation of product performance and customer acceptance with process engineering, plant staff, and Pactiv customers.